Joseph robert holmes



I. R. HOLMES.

MEANS OF ATTACHMENT FOR LIFE BUOY LIGHTS.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY26. 1919.

' ,322,902. Patented Nov. 25, 1919 enrrn STATES} PAT T @FFTQE.

MEANS OF ATTACHMENT'FOR LIFE-BUOY LIGHTS.

Application filed July 26, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ROBERT HOLMES, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of the city of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Means of Attachment for Life-Buoy Lights, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to an improved means of attachment for my inextinguishable marine life-buoy lights or other marine life-buoy rescue lights, whereby such a light can be securely suspended, for example, from a ships side. or gear until it is required for rescue work, when it can be easily and promptly detached from its fastenings by the act of throwing overboard the life-buoy to which it is secured and of which it is an important part, or torn asunder by hand, if so required.

The life-buoy light consists of a canister containing an illuminating mixture which ignites instantaneously on making contact with water. The water has ingress to the inside of the canister by a hole in the bottom, producing gas which escapes in full flame at the egress hole in the top of the canister. In some patterns of lights the holes are made with a pricker by hand immediately before throwing the light overboard, but valuable time is lost thereby, and in this invention I use my improved light in which the ingress and egress holes are made during the process of manufacture, and over which holes contact strips of lead or other material are soldered.

The improved means of suspension is independent of the ingress and egress points of contact, but is in loose flexible connection with them in order to allow free movement of the canister in its suspension and to avoid straining and premature breaking of the contact joints.

The suspension consists of a strip of metal or other suitable material with an eyelet or hold-fast ring at top and bottom by which it is lashed securely to the ships rail or otherwise so that it is held in tension. A loose movable eyelet on the tension strip is attached by a strip of metalto another eyelet carrying the contact strip which is bent over and soft soldered over the egress on the canister.

Near the top of the canister is a fiat loop into which dovetails a metal tongue connected to the tension strip. The bottom Specification of Letters Patent. i

rat-emcee Na. 25, rats.

Serial No. 313,571.

end of the tension strip which is bent and folded into the bottom eyelet or otherwise attached thereto, is prolonged at right angles under the canister, and is hard soldered to the contact strip, the'end of which is soft soldered over the ingress hole.

At the topof the canister and on the side opposite the tension strip, a ring or eyelet is attached and to this ring the lifeline from the life-buoy is fastened.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings Figure 1 represents the life-buoy light as it would be attached to a ships rail.

Fig. 2 shows the canister broken away from its attachment when the life-buoy is thrown overboard.

Fig. 3 is a View of the loose eyelet carrying a second eyelet which has the bent metal contact strip to be soft soldered over the egress at the top of the canister.

In the figures, a. is the canister, b is the tension strip lashed to the ships side or gear, a and 0 are the eyelets at top and bottom of the strip 6, d is the metal tongue which slips into the keeper loop 65, e is the loose eyelet which is movable on the strip Z2 and carries a second eyelet f to which is attached the bent contact strip to be soft soldered over the egress g from which the gas flame emerges. h is the ingress for the water and over which is soft soldered the straight contact strip, the other end of which strip is hard soldered at i to the end of the strip 6; j is the ring to which the life line of the life-buoy is fastened.

When the life-buoy is thrown overboard it exerts a pull on the ring j and straightens out the bent contact strip 7 at the top of the canister, and breaks the joint over egress g assisted by the action of the eyelet e which slips up on the tension strip 2) and allows a more direct pull on the joint at g. The tongue 03 is then drawn out of the loop d and lastly the straight contact strip over it is torn away.

It will readily be perceived that the arrangement of the bent and straight contact strips is such that as soon as the pull of the life-buoy comes into action, each strip is drawn back from the joint, on which it exercises a strong tearing action, resulting in a complete dislocation.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The improved means of attachment for marine life buoy lights' comprising, in co'mbination with the light canister having ingress and egress openings-and a keeper, a tension strip having terminal eyelets and an interniediately located tongue, said tongue adapted to engage with said keeper carried by the canister, a strip member having a I loose eyelet engagement with the tension strip and adapted to be fastened over the egress opening by a fracturable connection, and a second strip member having a fast connection with the tension strip and a read- 'ily fracturable connection with the canister 1 ,over the ingress opening.

2. The improved means of attachment for life buoy light canisters having ingress and the light canister, and a holding stripv adapted to have a loose connection at one end with the tension strip and having its opposite end doubled upon. itself'and secured by a readily-fracturable connection over the egress opening of the light canister.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature this 30th day of May, 1919.

JOSEPH ROBERT HOLMES. 

